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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ธ.ค. 2024
- How do you build a wheelchair ready to blaze through mud and sand, all for under $200? MIT engineer Amos Winter guides us through the mechanics of an all-terrain wheelchair that's cheap and easy to build -- for true accessibility -- and gives us some lessons he learned along the road.
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Its a great idea but my question is why is a wheelchair you can make for 200$ in developing country's much more expensive for the american version? i can see if it was a little more but 3000$ i was going to buy one but for that price i cant afforded it most of us cant. Developed country or not the 200$ model could help way more people which i thought was the point. it should be sold in both undeveloped and developed country's.
You got it on point! I never could say it in better words! They want us to want it to have and then price's way too high!
Big corporations shaft most of the richer countries..instead of keeping it cheap let's put high prices on the product..example a car kia when it first came out it was cheap now today go and buy one..
@@martinrochejocquelein1772 that's it! I've got one, now it is 12 years old but it never had anything defect exept Things like needing new wheels, brakes etc. Absolutely wonderful! But tiny! For me it's very practikle but when l'll get my dog it'll be a bit interesting how to arrange my wheely and the dog and the food for eating and at weekend my wonderful son with my:) l'll get a solution,it works, l'm sure, but yet l don't know how!
Gross extortion. I had to pay $3,500 for mine and I am struggling to pay normal bills. Have to choose between this and food. Remember only the one percent in America have America’s wealth.
The American versions were hacked mountain bikes, and mountain bikes are intrinsically expensive.
There is a lot of folks that can't afford the high end chair. You need to offer the $200.00 chair in the US too. I must say thank you.
i need one also, many people in usa need these at $200 or less!
If you are still monitoring this video, I agree - wheelies in the US need the $200 version. Put the plans on TH-cam!
@@sacredthyme4617they will never bring down the price in America or developed countries cuz they're unethical n greedy. It's dirt cheap for them to produce but they want to live like millionaires so they will never make it cheap yet increase costs while enslaving developing wirld to make it for them.
WHOOSH
My wife is an amputee (right leg, below knee). One of the things we've noticed is that frequently we need to use ramps, or go on rutted dirt. With a conventionsl wheelchair, the front wheels go in approximately the same tracks as the rear. This lets us pick a fairly smooth track. Having to account for 3 tracks will add some complexity to this.
At least he learned one hugely important thing. Go to the disabled themselves and ask them what works!!!! Do NOT make assumptions as a non-disabled person! As a disabled veteran in America I can tell you that many times ramps, lifts, etc. are poorly placed, only provide partial access OR (in violation of the ADA) they don't exist at all!
You got that right. Until you're disabled you don't understand the needs of a disabled person. They make things look good or sound good on paper before it is used or they get input from a disabled person/people.
Yourtube User lol thanks to the proof readers.
Yourtube User hey good for you, I'm glad there's someone out there correcting people's spelling and grammar. you're a real vital assist to our society. if it wasn't for people like you, correcting grammar and spelling, people like me wouldn't understand what anyone was even trying to say, one misuse of a word, leaves me utterly confused of what the person was even trying to say. God bless you .
Yourtube User but seriously, with your excellent grasp of the English language and uncanny ability to disypher these comments, with the knowledge to correct them is truly amazing. there world would be lost in confusion if it weren't for hero's such as yourself.
+Dr. Vosknocker DECIPHER ; THEIR world
I would suggest a lever design that would provide forward thrust on both forward and back stroke of the levers. This would probably increase the efficiency, torque and speed of the chair.
And massively increase cost and complexity by requiring much more specialized components.
Making them less reliable
why do you assume that just because someone is in the US, we have large disposable cash reserves to buy your " higher end/ higher price" chair? I am a disabled vet, and I live, and raise my kids on a very small pension. where I live terrain is rough, and weather makes it very hard to use electric chairs half of the year. and the injuries I have make rotating my left arm backwards beyond even with my body very painful, and causes an almost total loss of power on the forward push, so manual chairs are not an option. when I saw your video and it claimed an inexpensive chair for rough terrain and being manual I would assume rain would not be as much of a factor as my power chair, I was excited.. but to hear you say that the inexpensive version is only for under developed countries, and Americans would be limited to an expensive version really deflated my hopes that I could actually be able to leave my house in the wet half of the year. you do not need to leave American soil to find poor disabled people, that need an all terrain, all weather option. looking out of my window each day to see if I will be able to leave my house for basic needs, and seeing rain and knowing that means I will not be able to go anywhere today is a regular thing here. even on good days, knowing that much of this area is so rough my chair would not handle the trip, and not being able to go places with my family because there are not always nice smooth sidewalks, with good curb cuts for the corners is infuriating. if I had the money to buy a high end off road all weather chair, I would, but people like me, on a small, government pension, we do not live paycheck to paycheck, we live paycheck to a week before the next paycheck.. then hope that nothing gets shut off, and that there is enough food to get us through to the first of the month. I am sure you had the best of intentions, but you make the same assumptions that a lot of people that have not lived with the hardships of being both poor and disabled do, that there have been so many advances to make our lives easier... but you do not see how far there is yet to go.
try it for 1 week this winter. if the road is rough, do not travel down it, if the building does not have ramps, or elevators, do not enter it, if the weather is wet, even a little.. do not leave your house. if it turns wet after you leave. huddle in a shelter until a bus, or family member can come pick you up. if you look down, and notice you are standing on wet grass, with soft mud under it, or sand, just stand there, until someone comes by and offers to help you move.. Life in these good old United States is still not so easy for people who cant walk.
+J.Douglas Hutchinson I also cannot use a manual wheel chair, because of my hands and have to pushing myself backward with one leg. Last year, I spent the 3000.00 (the cost of this chair) for a CATRIKE. It allows me to go anywhere people go with bikes. I can no longer push the pedals, so I am adding a bike motor. I am making a mount for my DRIVE 4 wheel walker that I use as a lightweight wheelchair in stores. My only disability are the people who think I should not do what they do because it is to difficult. My goal is to go touring for two weeks next summer.
I think this is great and agree, Americans have the same problems and dreams as the rest of the world. I wish we had access to the same products... We have working poor here, too! As a VET, we are trained to think outside the box. We do not lay down, we do not quit. I got an 18 month interest free loan ($200/mo) to allow me to have mobility and would do it AGAIN even after seeing this product. I would like to see a cheaper version of this product for those with monthly (low) incomes, Maybe a conversion kit for my manual wheelchair. It would not be light but I could go forward, LOL and catch the bus.
i need one as well, no income due to disabled here in america fighting
for disability for 12 years - and cant get far in regular wheelchair. we need them here for us too!
I completely agree with you Douglas, first off, thank you for your service for this country I am not a Veteran, I lost my leg 6 months before I was supposed to enlist in the Air Force, I was waiting for me to graduate Highschool which was all that was needed for me to enlist. My family and I fall into the below poverty class of the American population. I had to buy my wheelchairs from garage sales and any other means I could in order to have a wheelchair. I would buy wheelchairs as often as I came across them even if I didn't need one at that particular time. I even had friends and family keeping an eye out for chairs for me. I don't know how many times I rebuilt, combined parts just to have a functional wheelchair. For whatever reason the cost of medical supplies such as wheelchairs are extremely expensive and hard to get a hold of. If your lucky enough to be on Medicare and they supply you with a wheelchair they only allow you to get a new wheelchair every 2 years and even though they are supplying you with a wheelchair it's only a rental so you have to fight every time something goes wrong with it. I became friends with the owner of a medical supply company whom I was "renting" my wheelchair from and one of the times I was having repairs done to my chair he told me that because of how active I was and how hard I am in wheelchairs I was costing him more money than he was receiving from Medicare which was hurting him severely. It's truly ridiculous how expensive things like wheelchairs are just because it's something that disabled people need and can't live without. I paid almost $5,000 for a strong wheelchair for me to use which was really nice but then I ran into a problem where that wheelchair would only fit through my front door. It was too wide to fit through any other door in the house so I had 2 wheelchairs, an inside wheelchair that Medicare was renting which fit through all of the doors in my house and my new wheelchair that I used outside and out in public.The problem with the chair I bought I need new front caster assemblies but 2 years after owning the wheelchair they discontinued the chair so they stopped making parts for the chair so I couldn't replace the bearing assemblies along with the quick disconnect forks I still have the chair I payed a ridiculous amount of money for just because of how much I payed for it. I understand making wheelchairs for disabled people in 3rd world countries and other cultures but it's ridiculous that the assumption is because us disabled citizens in America can afford to pay more for a wheelchair to do the same thing is ludacris. It's pretty sad that this same type wheelchair costs more or is the same price of most of the vehicles I have bought over the years. Better yet, some of these wheelchairs have to be financed as if I'm buying a new car
There are many rural disabled wheelchair users in the USA with low incomes who could use something like this. I have been looking at these in the USA and the cost is prohibitive. Many have medicaid or medicare which will only pay for an indoor chair which is not suitable and ends up isolating persons in rural areas. Not all have public transportation or vehicles. When I have to use my chair, an indoor chair that is about 15 years old, I am limited to about a half mile of my road I can travel and only with the help of my service dog assisting. Rural lower income disabled persons are forgotten about and when they remember us, many times what we need is NOT what we get...
+Patty Sue Cooper Yeah. Seems pricey to me, too. But they do say they are working on bringing the costs down, so it is at least something they have in mind: www.gogrit.us/news/2015/2/20/a-tale-of-two-chairs
i need one as well, no income due to disabled here in america fighting for disability for 12 years - and cant get far in regular wheelchair.
Just an idea you need to make the levers pull not push you will get a lot more power pulling with the arms and will be much more user friendly
I am a wheelchair user for more than 20 years and now suffering from carpel-tunnel syndrome! I think this wheelchair could help to prevent/minimize such conditions in/with other wheelchair users !
Unlike legs which naturally are built to give more push power on stretch, the hands however deliver more while pulling. It may be a better than to pull the rods rather than push. To achieve that you might just have to flip the gear wheel mechanism, which meets the rods. Just my 0.2$.
smart ~
It would also depend on the type of disability someone has. I can push with far more force than I can pull! I would not be able to use this type of wheelchair due to the type of condition I have but other people may find different things easier.
we are no longer such a developed country. at least for the disable we are trapped in old crappy chairs and cant afford new ones that cost many thousands of dollars. id love one of those. the U.S version though is far beyond my reach.
To me in Germany too. Way out of reach!
This guy was my graduate student adviser for an undergraduate project. Great guy! Glad to see him on a TED talk. So many comments ask why not a cheaper wheelchair for US and Europe. The unfortunate truth is that, as a graduate student and researcher in the US, it is easier to get support and funding to develop technology for underprivileged communities outside the US rather than inside. Part of this is that people like Amos could get free bike donations to get parts, and recruit undergrads or partner with people in underprivileged communities to make and distribute the wheelchairs. And the people who get them are happy to get any help, and they are willing to fix things when they break. But try to do that in the US? No way. The complaints would come rolling in. "It doesn't look professionally made" or "It has some sharp edges" or "Its not comfortable enough" or "It broke and I don't want to fix it" or "You're using public funds to help deadbeats" or "Its too squeeky". Blah blah blah.
You also need to find a US manufacturer willing to weld parts for eight hours a day for a cup of rice as payment! I know a lot of manufacturers proudly announce their products as "made right here in the USA" but this always increases the price. 3rd-world nations can happily ignore a bit of rust and a few sharp edges that just need a bit of filing but USA (and here in W. Europe) would just complain about not having a powder-coated finish and electrically heated seats!
I want so much to go outside and be out of this bed again one day.
I'm 38 now after 4 years stuck in bed, and if it doesnt happen in 5 years, then I will give up and hopefully be remembered for the life I once lived, rather than the "life" I am currently a part of. But being 6'7" 330lbs with only one arm and leg that barely works while the other arm and leg are totally dead, means my heart might not last much longer.
But if I do somehow get an outdoor electric chair, I promise to pass it down to someone that needs it after I pass. Because a lot of us here know how much that could mean to be in the sunshine again.
+MrCarter'sRods don't give up, maybe one day things will change, all you need is hope... I know you have that :)
sandstorm31 Thank you for the kind words and support. I had lost hope for a while because no one knew what was wrong with me and what caused this unknown illness. But after almost 4 years and every dime I could muster getting countless tests, we finally figured it out, and I might be able to get better!!!!!!!!!
So I havent given up yet.
And since I posted this we have figured out what has caused my health issues. Im working on getting better but it is not guaranteed. But it isnt cheap.
I have a GoFundMe acct, and I'd appreciate it if you could share it for me. The treatments cost $195 each and it will be at least 35+ treatments needed. If you dont want to share it online with others, no problem, but my better half wrote out a detailed explanaition of what happened to me on the page as well as posted images of some graphics of my results and might be worth checking out if you or anyone is interested.
Im not one to beg, but Im desperate to get ell again. I may be able to walk again as well as use my left arm. So if you want a link to the GoFundMe for any of the reasons, let me know. (I cant ask a person to donate because I feel bad knowing that there are kids that need money to actually save their lives on there, and I'd rather people donate money to them, so its quite the dilemma for me. But if you share it, maybe someone else out there might be able to help me out.)
Im going to start posting videos of my experience as I go through the treatments as well. And if I get better, I hope to travel around to different schools educating the youth on concussions and hopefully have them be a little smarter about the choices they make in terms of athletics. Oh yeah... lol... my illness was brought upon by a decade of head trauma starting in High school sports and then in the pro-wrestling industry. I guess I shouldve said that sooner.
(I hope I typed this out well enough to understand. If not, Im sorry.)
Thanks again. Once I start posting videos, I'll try to let you know.
And BTW, Im not some Nigerian prince lol.
i was bedridden and now about just a bit - keep trying.
I pray your health continues to improve and that you have been out in the sunshine many times since your first posting. I'm only 4' 8“ so my disability gave me the short end of the stick 😎(I have cerebral palsy.) We're blessed and thankful for life. Keep wrestling with it. Seriously, life can be really difficult, frustrating and lonely. I send you encouragement and a gentle push upward and outward. You Are Not Alone. You are unique and a gift. May each day be better than your best so far!
Great project. But why not offer the 200.00 version here in the USA? I find that to be once again leaving the americans with no choice but to be beholding to the insurance companies. Power chairs are 20-50K in the usa. But not in other countries. Please explain.
I'd be happy to explain. In the united states we have a medical industry which runs on a "private insurance" model. As such there are a variety of insurance companies which are quite efficient at minimizing their own costs, while maximizing the cost to others (the public and the consumer). The insurance companies have created a system so arduous and unnecessarily unwieldy that it is incredibly expensive just to deal with them. Therefore a very large share of the cost of drugs, doctors visits, and medical devices comes from the inefficiencies introduced by the insurance companies. And on another note, there is much more than $200 labor that goes into these wheel chairs and they are far too heavy for anyone to consider using if they have access to an aluminum or titanium light weight manual chair.
ldalfkjahsl Hundreds of us do not have insurance.
Simple: there are more administrative employees in HMOs and private hospital than there are doctors and medical employees, how do you think we paid their wages?
By literally charging $50 for an aspirin that is worth a fraction of a cent in a supermarket
Neil Shubert It's because other industrialized countries are civilized and actually have proper health insurance. 😎
Why not make the low priced 200 version for the rest of the world? Lots of disabled people in the west have no money for high end versions. Its not like disability incomes in the western world are high enough, especially if one also has other medical costs. Insurances are throwing more and more medicines out of the insurances.
Why not stop being so freaking selfish and think of the people in 3rd world countries for a change - some who may never have been out of their house EVER before? xx
Hazel Simmons
Why is protesting against no low priced wheelchair in the west selfish?
Releasing a low priced wheelchair in the west, wont take away the low priced wheelchairs from people in 3rd world countries. Its not an or/or situation. The commercial people who are releasing this wheelchair will earn on both initiatives.. I dont see why they need to earn extra on useless features if there are so many people in the west who cant afford the chairs because of it. If anyone should stop beeing selfish its the people who live in big fat houses and who earn millions every year, and then do fail to care about the people in their own country.
Hazel Simmons
I have no use for this chair myself anyhow. My health problems wont allow me to push any chair.
+Hazel Simmons why are you such a hater? of course this should also be available in developed countries, where people might have more money and a higher living standard, but still can't afford a high end version of this wheelchair. Everyone in demand should have access to a wheelchair in his budget.
from the LFC website regarding the challenges of a low-cost chair in the west:
"The developing country LFC does not disassemble or fold for transport. The wheels are not removable. This is not a problem for rural users who do not have access to cars, but presents a challenge for US riders"
"The LFC is built from bicycle parts that are standard in developing countries, but which are not available in the United States. "
"The LFC is manufactured in India. This is geographically advantageous for bulk shipping around the developing world, but makes it extremely difficult and expensive to import it into the US. For example, shipping 1 LFC from India to Boston costs approximately $1,000."
That said, they are attempting to make an LFC for the west, it just won't come in at $200.
There are many people not only in developing countries, but also in USA and UK who would like an all terrain chair. In the UK the government provide free wheelchairs but they are very heavy and disable people unnecessarily. In the Usa people have to pay for any kind of wheelchair out of insurance and these all terrain chairs are often beyond their financial reach.
being that I use a wheel chair all the time and the ironie is I use to work on them when I worked at the Nursing Home in my younger years ( feels weird to say that) I can tell you from looking the one thing the industry in America will have a problem with, no anti tip bars on the back.. When watching the man going threw the "ruff " terrain there was a few times the chair bucked back and there is nothing there to stop it from tipping over,
Also you show it going threw a area with a bit of high grass some rocks and dirt with ruts etc along the way. Yes on a regular chair you have to push threw that its almost impossible to do . But what is harder is loose gravel as in when you are going into a driveway with a lot of gravel , Wheel chairs regardless of electric or regular stop most of the time dead in their tracks , Sand forget it you will bury yourself and wet grass nope tires will spin when trying to go up hill . So while the idea is awesome and a great break threw it still needs work on the tires and their grip with the road and the hazards it comes up against as well as the tipping of the chair . People who are stuck in these thank anyone for trying to better them . But the things listed above are some very real problems people face every day .
***Can you order these right now or do you have to get the blueprints on its design and find someone to source the parts, and design one for you. I need to have one for someone who could really use one who lives in the Andes mountains in Peru. Just trying to figure out how I can get one for this person. Does anyone know.***
I would be curious to see the long term impact of this device. I have been a manual wheelchair user for eight years and after that short amount of time with the activity level I have had, it just about destroyed my shoulders because of the long-term use and I am now in a power wheelchair. I would be interested to see what that affect would have on them. This is not a negative comment about the device, just a simple curiosity
/
It seems to act like proper push up form since it's shoulder width and straight in front of the body rather than at a weird angle with hands right at your side
Been a manual wheelchair for 14 years, I was wondering the same thing.
as it requires less force, it should do less harm.
and as others said, the way you use your arms, shoulders and wrists it seems to benefit too.
so my 2ct is it will be way better.
My friend a 10 year manual wheelchair user , he goes all over in a regular chair. Well poor guy has had to go electric because he destroyed his elbows. This looks better on the elbows at least.
Every one in the USA that is disabled is not a high end buyer. Living on a disability income does NOT leave a lot of extra money at the end of each month to be able to afford one of these. sigh
+Judith S So true - alternatives really need to be created.
Best wishes,
The SpeechAngel Team.
there is you just have to look for them
I made a post with some places
I'll look for the post under your you tube name.
Especially when GRIT which is the distributor wants more than 3500$ and up for them.
I was thinking the same thing. It's wonderful that they came out with something for people in 3rd world countries, but like you said. not everyone in the USA is a high-end buyer. I know I'm not. I've seen similar ads for wheelchair like this, all-terrain and niffy, but I can't afford it and I doubt many other people can too. Maybe that's how they make back their money by offering it for high prices here and for such a low cost in 3rd world country. Maybe if they offered that model here for that price, more people could get around more freely.
Do customers in the USA get to buy the $200 model as well as the fancier version? How does a person go backward or turn left and right in your wheelchair?
i need one as well, cant get far in regular wheelchair.
I can’t answer your first question, though I would certainly be happy if the answer to it was yes, as it would help me considerably.
As for the second question, it seems to me it works the same as with a traditional W/C. To turn left you stop moving your left wheel, to turn right you stop moving your right wheel. To go backward, you turn around (while it is possible to move backward in a regular W/C, it’s rather dangerous).
BTW, it makes no sense to buy the expensive model in the US. If I had the money for it, I could afford an electric scooter, so why would I waste it on something less efficient?
Mr. Winter, I have been using an IGlide/Tailwind since my accident in 2003. This is an amazing chair, but the batteries tend to wear out and are very expensive to replace. With your engineering background I was hoping you or someone you know would be willing to figure out a way for the battery to recharge itself while I'm out propelling around.
agree = i need such too!
@@sacredthyme4617 I'm looking too.
I am not sure I understand why one has to make a high end impossible to repair easily model and sell that in the develop world. My husband would benefit so much from that but we can not afford a high end version... sad...
the only issue that I see was a counter weight for the front of the wheelchair. if going uphill the user has to push their body forward to try and compensate for the power of the levers. I'm curious because I know this video has been out for a while if that has changed.
where can we buy one? All the models I found are 2k online.
I have saved up for 12 years and have recently got myself some different wheels for my chair to enable me to go on the beach.
+clairemcheskin What kind of wheels do you us to go to the beach? Could you tell more some more? I would love to go to the beach as well.. I would need to be pushed, but wheels are wheels right?
handbike wheels, Gazzaloddi Nokian wide tyres, Freewheel front wheel attachment. It works with the regular wheels and the freewheel on too. So pleased to be on the beach again.
clairemcheskin can you go on snow too?
Seven years on, are these wheelchairs still in use, and are folks still able to use them? We can only hope. Cheers!
Brilliant. Kit like this is really needed in countries like this. The best thing is involving the end-user in design.
My TiLite Aero Z wheelchair plus the Freewheel attachment in the US cost $5,600. It’s my lifeline but dang expensive. I utilize my local bike shops and hardware store for everything except special accessories not for bicycles. It’s a great resource
This is for those gave thumbs down or put negative comments, this guy is smarter than you can ever be and you don't even realise that....
Any person who spends lots of money firming up the neglected areas of society and restoring or improving productivity and value in lives all over the world--as long as it's genuine--is doing a great and noble thing.
this is great! Ive been trying to find something for my dad who is hemiplegic and 6' 2". He is 260lbs also. How could he propel both wheels with on arm? thanks
Brilliant in all respects - fantastic life-changing and I hope it is made in the millions. Superb imaginative entrepreneurship - congratulations.
My husband has had a spinal cord injury for 37 yrs.... We have had buy all the wheelchairs he has used till he turned 65, 2 yrs ago. I have had to buy used of course.
America does not take care of her own.
Your chair is great. To bad, if your not in a 3rd world country, you don't qualify.
point is you managed for 37 years and i am guessing with better used equipment. I have been in a chair over 40 years and yes ts a struggle getting chairs etc but we do have access to them .those in truly poor countries dont have a choice
Ya, i know what u mean. Western family needs functional wheelchair. Why not offer some to families out in the west..not every family/person can afford a functional equipment
Same principle as a recumbent bike; you can push against the seat and get more power than pulling against nothing. Some disabilities might require a the opposite, which would be a simple matter of swapping the wheels over.
i couldn't see myself getting around my house in that thing. you can just move the front casters further up front than normal with the right spacing for foot room. the casters would have to be parallel to the persons feet so as not to tip over. add bigger wheels and there you go. i'd use it for outdoors, but it looks like a lot of motion for flat solid surfaces.
We live in a rural area right here in the US. The low end end chair would be great, we have no public transportation out her. The terrain is rugged, no sidewalks. Charity begins at home, or it is supposed to.
Very cool. I love guys like this who are entrepreneurs at heart who want to make some money, want to make a living, but also want to make the world a better place. A working class hero is something to be.
Great idea. How about change to bigger bike tyre to make it easier for non pavement road?
from being in a chair my whole life. i would lime to helpfuly give ya some advice. from years of trial n error i find the best front tires are bigger. esp
on rough ground. those bigger tires will float over things even branches ect. and if you moved the levers back to shoulder level. it would be easier to push. i noticed then struggling to push thecchair. great idea just wanted to help
This is excellent. Now how about a power assist version please?
As a wheelchair user myself I think this is pretty interesting & cool.. Nice job!
I love *You Amos Winter, just love You!! Thank You for the words " in the end it has to be the user that gives the tumb up ......" Here where I live the desiding people always say;" we are the one with the experience and knowledge, so we know what the user needs .... " they don't ever listen to ideas and wishes from users, which is extremly frustrating!
I wish I could test Your wheelchairmodel!!
greating from Bambi Elinsdotter, broadcaster, singer and columnist
Can I handle this manual wheelchair? I'm muscular dystrophy and I don't know if I can drive the Amos winter wheelchair?
Kind of a pisser that poor people in Africa get a $200 model but poor people in "developed" countries must buy a "high end" unit???? I did not know that poor had different classes.?????
Seems we do lol
He talks too fast for my needs. I have MS and rin into this problem frequently.. Also I would like to research some of the companies he mentioned but cannot understand their names. Slow down please.
On the TED site I saw a device that you strapped into and it would allow you to go from sitting to standing and then move around electrically; stop, still in the device, move around sitting or return to standing. While on the device it allowed you to reach high and low items in the grocery store. I was looking at electric wheelchairs when I found this wonderful device [name?] I cannot find the site again! Help!
To Macey Fay : Found your site : See video on TH-cam "New device makes Wheelchair obsolete".Comes right up. Hope this helps!
Kate Lilly Thanks Kate. It was a big help,
I saw an ad on Facebook a little bit ago for basically this exact thing, it's called the Grit Freedom Chair. I looked it up on Google and they are asking 3 to 5 thousand dollars for them in the US. I don't understand why they can take it over there and only charge $200 but yet if I want to be able to use the same technology I have to pay over 3 grand.
Can you buy in the closest developing country and just ship into the USA for cheaper? Intl shipping is far cheaper if the bike is only $200
Great design but just because you think we can afford the high end doesn't mean we can. Please reconsider your marketing strategy.
I think you still have the option to buy the $200 one but you have the ability to buy a high end one if you want to, but I would assume it wouldn’t be outrageously expensive for the high-end one, but I don’t know
I'd like to know where these chairs are available and the price for them.
This man deserves respect. Respect.
Good point. But that's for a boat and there's no other way to move a vessel through water other than propellers, but on land, spinning a wheel is a better idea -IMO
this guy's running a hustle . he's too smooth and slick . don't be fooled !
+cjordan walker He's an MIT mechanical engineer trying to do good by solving a problem. I resent your attitude. The world is not flat.
I resent your resentment . he's trying to make money . give several older chairs to disabled vet to test out . the VA will buy products worthwhile and the sales will guaranty wealth.
Where is it available in india, I needed this chair for myself.
this is a fantastic invention -as far as I can tell I have been in a wheelchair for 50 years my auto accident happened in 1966 in October. I would liketo obtain such a wheelchair but how am I able to find out where to buy one --if I can afford one
I’m currently in Lisbon Portugal where I was planning on k
Hiking to the the Camino De Santiago and if my feet held up proceed to Paris where I would meet my fiancee. Taking a few days to tour Lisbon before my hike and somehow managed to break my large toe and went to the emergency room where I was told with the open wound from the blister I wouldn’t be able to hike. The toe could get infected and eventually have to be removed. I was very disappointed. Then I discovered your video on TH-cam and realized failure was not an option. How can I get one of these shipped to me in Portugal?
I was thinking the same thing.
One of his first statements about his target demographic was that they don't have wheelchairs. Not that they have inadequate wheelchairs.
Might as well have designed a state-of-the-art 4x4 for all the good it will do those who can't afford it.
Still, there may be a silver-lining, he did make mention of a few charities who are involved so perhaps access to these chairs may be made easier that way.
The U.S. versions available are $3,000 - $5,500. There are still many disabled people in the U.S. who do have low incomes, since most people make very little money on disability. When will we be able to purchase the $200-$300 version in the U.S. for the lower-income U.S. based people, please?
I tried something like this when I was in a spinal unit, and unless you're an athlete you feel exhausted within minutes. You can't keep your bodyweight forward as you have to constantly shift it to move the levers, so you drain energy very fast.
A much more efficient design is the cougar (works like a motorised or manual mountain-bike) or the attachable free-wheel.
impressive, but how would it get up curbs?
Where and how a guy could buy one here in USA? I'm disabled and living on a tight budget. If a guy could buy one at a reasonable price here in the states I would like to know where. I live in Missouri.
I seen a website what about buying 100 or more of them. But I'm looking for a place that sells one I'm on a disability income and I couldn't sell 99 of them. So I'm looking for a retailer here in the States that sells them thank you
ditto, except i need but no income and would borrow funds so i could then get about and repay. where are these? thank you someone ... there is 2 now, 98 to go.
+Mark Neff i agree wholeheartedly. why not a 200 dollar usa wheelchair?
Wheelchairs are cheaper in the USA than they are in Europe and that includes the UK - so stop whinging xx
because of certain programs.never tel a person n need to stop whinging when they are in need and not saying anything but facts.oil gets the squeaky wheel.politicts allow mit students to create butpoliticts don't help start ups with possible low finance. You got 22 vets offing themselves.wer they winging or asking for bit of help!
I wish I could be an engineer and solve problems for others. You must be such a happy person!
If you want full mobility for trips of 10 miles or so and you have arm strength consider the Organic Transit ELF, front photo seen in my avatar. It has fully enclosed body but is considered a bicycle under federal ebike laws so no license or insurance! The comfortable sliding seat lets you fold up a compact wheelchair in the space where passengers would ride. It has full DOT lighting, signals, horn and is very safe in collisions. It has a solar panel roof for self charging or you can plug it in. OT works with the disabled to set you up or you can find a used one starting around $4K. It uses hand controls on a handlebar and operates like a bike. Your feet can be strapped in to the pedals. You can have true freedom from taxis or vans so it can save money in the long run. I'm only slightly disabled but I got rid of my car 4 years ago and have really enjoyed the pollution free ELF and I pedal for exercise but the motor will take you without pedaling. It has cargo room for more groceries than you ever buy at one time but no it won't climb stairs. OrganicTransit.com or see the many ELF videos here on TH-cam.
Can that go through Minnesota snow?
Beautiful~!!! I love the simple design so much.
Would like to buy ones too. Where can I buy it in Germany?
Very nice. I applause your dedication and admire your will to create actual change in the world.
But not in the USA
This is awesome.... pie. Seems so obviously much better than a normal wheelchair! Does it have a future product name if I want to refer people I know to the future product?
beautiful ,thanks amos . we need more like you.
Have you tested it in Africa where the village terrain is appalling? What a great idea though. Well done
You just won my heart ! 👏👏
Was somewhat excited when I found your you tube.........But I am loosing use of my shoulder, arms, and hands which I see your chair is totally dependent upon for forward motion. Thanks anyway for the you tube and the product you have.
What a great evolution of the wheelchair
I saw a lot of comments by people saying that it was too expensive. Keep in mind that the price might go down with time and that even though it might be unaffordable for some, it is still in the price range for many who would have otherwise not have had an option.
Can we get an update on this please ? It would be wonderful to make this affordable for the disabled in the US. Even as a kit or directions so we could put it together our selves. It's hard enough as it is living on less than a grand a month. Many of us homeless could really use something like the cheapest version. Please realize not everyone can afford a roof over our heads much less a ,$3000.+ Wheel chair . I am better off having some one pull me like a wagon ,but it's very painful on the already damaged spine.
Its great to see you doing this.
What about those of us who don't live in tropical climates but in climates where there is winter? I have yet to see a power wheelchair that can drive through even a few inches of snow.
*****
If I had the knowhow and the money, I would add a snowplow but I do not.
*****
No I will not let strangers who have not graduated college touch my chair.
ldalkjahsl i agree with your analysis of the insurance industry. HOWEVER if it were offered at $200 people could skip going through their insurance. Even if the price was $500 because of lighter materials and labor. Have them made in prisons where the labor would be cheep.
If I could buy one for 200.00 I could have freedom for myself a nd I could buy 4 more and donate them to people who can't afford them. I think there would a lot of people willing to donate money to buy a chair like this for someone who needs it. A community could rally to help a disabled person in their community.
how do u move backwards with it?
availability in usa? any versions for on arm person? thanks for the vid.
if you were confined to a wheel chair, could you see yourself moving over a mile of rough terrain using those levers? Without any type of shock absorption? It would probably be easier to run a marathon.
I want this for my dad but they just show the wheelchair but give no info on how to get it☹️
Good solution for some wheel chair users, and is important the exercise needed to move in hard terrain, because many people acumulate weight, perhaps they don´t have the way to make enough exercise.
I have had mine for over three years. IT DOES NOT GO IN SAND, IT DOES NOT GO IN SNOW..ETC ETC. Mine rests in the garage..it takes a muscle man to use it.
i hope you're busy hiring it out to people who CAN make vood use of it.
where can I can get plans for the two hundred dollar wheelchair retofit, I live in semi-rural Australia lots of hills etc, I got a second hand chair that sucks, i got little money could u help me please urs ,wom069
+1 on this. Here's their explanation for why the price is higher in the U.S.; I don't know what they mean about 'bike part availability' - you would think, if anything, bike parts would be more accessible in the U.S. but perhaps the markup on everything is what makes it tricky. It's probably much easier to keep costs down in the developing world because USD goes so far there - USD naturally doesn't stretch as far in the U.S. But here's the backstory, according to the creators: www.gogrit.us/news/2015/2/20/a-tale-of-two-chairs
Your language alone speaks volumes as to the quality of your character!
I'm a dude in a wheelchair , it looks good for a good work out , but show me something better and easier ! not a bad idea Mr. Winters but not there yet. Needs a better way to transfer in and out , for those with lack of upper body strength , get ideas from people who use wheelchairs on a daily bases for we know what we need.
Where can I get this?
where can I get one?
someone has an idea how much and where to buy them??? they're perfect for a dream project... helping poor people in my country... My mom has been on wheelchair for many years and I feel a deep pain looking at poor people that cannot afford a decent wheelchair in a lifetime... I hope I can do a different on behalf of my mother...I'm not rich but if I can help 1 or 3 people every year that will be great for me...please let me know any info....
+Ruben M. www.gogrit.us/lfc They sell them in lots of 100. Maybe if you email them (email address on linked page) they can refer you to someone who can sell you smaller lots.
As an ex and hopefully never again wheel chair user this is an interesting and useful example of design for actual problem solution as opposed to selling some shit.
Hi Im from South Africa living in a rural town. how am i able to contact you.
Thank You from India :)
Will this be available in the US for a 400 pound man
wish I could get one of these for $200 here in the UK.
Leon Joe Me to turn my wheelchair into a bike will cost over £1000 :( can't afford that when I have 3 children to feed so I just use my crappy old chair.
I need to buy one for my grandmom living in INDIA. Which website/company should I contact ?
08:26 - Right after "All the stakeholders...", it sounds like he just farted. Thought that was so important to point out xD
I like it. Hope this company is still alive and kicking.
Why don't they make the lever into a pull instead of a push, you going to to use a lot of bigger muscles than you ever will with a push than with a pull (extension with lats)
Great video. Success in your venture.
Really incredible, well done!